City Hall committed to $10 million partnership with PCMR

Traffic study, soil testing planned as major project again endorsed

City Hall is pressing ahead with a partnership with Park City Mountain Resort to jointly plan and build a garage and transit hub at the resort base.

Mayor Jack Thomas and the Park City Council on Thursday night held a discussion with the PCMR side about the project, indicating that the municipal government is comfortable with the arrangement.

The elected officials spoke about what they see as benefits of the project, such as upgrading the transit service at the resort with a new hub and expressing support for PCMR parent Powdr Corp.'s plans to build an action sports camp known as Woodward Park City.

A different set of elected officials agreed to enter into the partnership with PCMR. City Hall and PCMR signed a nonbinding letter of intent at that time to jointly plan and construct a garage and transit hub.

PCMR sees the partnership as important as it prepares for major development on its parking lots, anchored by Woodward Park City. A garage and transit hub would be an important part of the work on the parking lots. City Hall, meanwhile, has long supported expanding its public transit infrastructure as a way to reduce traffic.

The lifespan of a City Hall-controlled entity known as the Lower Park Avenue Redevelopment Agency was extended at that time from 2015 until 2030. The agency brings in money through tax increments -- essentially most of the property taxes paid above the 1990 level.

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The Redevelopment Agency is willing to fund up to $10 million toward the cost of a transit hub, a garage and related infrastructure.

The meeting on Thursday was meant to poll the elected officials again before additional research is started into the projects.

Diane Foster, the Park City manager, said in an interview after the meeting upcoming steps will include testing for mining-era contaminants in the soil at the site of PCMR's lower parking lot and launching a study of traffic and intersections.

Foster said City Hall will fund studying traffic and intersections while PCMR will pay for the soil testing. City Hall will eventually advertise for a consultant to conduct the study.

High-ranking officials from the PCMR side, including Powdr Corp. CEO John Cumming, were at the meeting. They did not address the elected officials. Nobody from the public spoke when the mayor asked if anyone wanted to provide input.

The discussions are ongoing as the PCMR side remains locked in a high-profile lawsuit centered on the lease of much of its terrain. The case pits PCMR against its landlord, Talisker Land Holdings, LLC, and a firm tied to Vail Resorts.

The land involved in the dispute does not include the ground where a transit hub and parking garage would be built under the talks between City Hall and PCMR. Several City Councilors seemed to briefly allude to the case during the meeting on Thursday, but none of them spoke in depth about the topic. There were also comments about how a transit hub and garage at PCMR would jibe with the ambitious plans to redevelop the Bonanza Park district.

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